Soulful Songstress: Q&A with Paula Cole

A pop-radio staple in the mid-1990s thanks to her hit songs "I Don't Want to Wait" and "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" Paula Cole took a six-year break from the music biz and fled Los Angeles following the birth of her daughter, Sky, in 2001. On the heels of her second post-hiatus album, Ithaca, the singer-songwriter talked to us from her hometown, Rockport, Mass., where she once again lives.

Q What motivated you to take time off from music?

A I needed a breather from the industryI was a shade-loving plant who was blanched by the spotlight. In the end, a humbler career is a far better fit for someone as introverted as I am.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

Q Has your songwriting process changed over the years?

A For one thing, I don't beat myself up when I'm feeling creatively blocked. I'm able to recognize that my experiences outside of songwriting are often sources of inspiration later on, which is maybe a sign of maturation.

Q You gave up meat at age 14. How about Sky; is she vegetarian?

A She's not interested in meat, but I allowed her that decision. I believe that living vegetarian is one of the best things you can do for your kids, and one of the greatest ways for your soul to shine.

Add at least one more vegetarian to the population of Park City, Utah, during this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A New York transplant from her native Australia, Stephanie Ellis co-stars in the independent feature The Sleepwalker, which premieres at the festival on January 20.

You probably recognize the Melissa’s logo from stickers and labels on fruits and veggies you’ve bought. But unless you’re in the food world, chances are you don’t know Robert Schueller, public relations director at the largest supplier of variety produce in the U.S.

As if her plate isn't already full with an acting career and her nonprofit foundation, Izabella Miko is also seriously into cooking. On the last day of shooting Starving in Suburbia, the new Lifetime movie she co-stars in, she treated cast and crew to homemade vegan treats.